Dr. Atkins' Diet

The basis of this diet - almost totally avoidance of carbohydrates. It is their surplus, according to Atkins, raises the level of insulin in the blood and causes a feeling of hunger.

Robert Atkins, still the most odious figure in the diets world. He began to propagate his scheme for reducing and controlling weight more than 30 years ago, but it still raises many disputes about its benefits and harms.

Respecting a diet and the elimination of carbohydrates from the body leads to the generation of ketone bodies - chemicals that accelerate the burning of fat in the body.

The Plan: in the first phase of the diet (14 days) the body adjusts to the fat burning scheme; in the second phase occurs the decline in weight to the desired (with the recommended control of the ketone bodies number in the urine through special strip-tests); in the third phase - the result maintenance.
Advantages: getting rid of "sweet" dependency, there is no restriction on the total amount of food and its caloric value.
Difficulties: you need to have good health, not to have chronic diseases, especially diabetes; in the active phase of the diet is not recommended to take drugs. The diet can not be applied when pregnant, lactation period, elevated cholesterol level. There should be an accurate counting of the carbohydrates. To maintain the result, it is recommended to follow the diet all your life.

The first phase: The consumption of carbohydrates - not more than 20 grams a day. Eating is permitted only when hungry, stop as soon as saturation will occur.
Unrestricted: meat, fish, poultry, cheeses, seafood, eggs, vegetables and fresh herbs, mushrooms; vegetable oil: natural, better- untreated cold juices, animal fats: butter subsistence oil, fish fat.
Beverages: water - simple and mineral, tea without sugar (preferably green or herbaceous), various drinks with no carbohydrates.
In small quantities, counting the number of carbohydrates contained in these products, you can eat: tomatoes, cabbage, eggplants, green peas, onions, spinach, asparagus, sour cream.
Strictly forbidden: sugar and sweets, bread and other flour products, fruits, amylaceous vegetables, margarine and light butter, cooking fats and alcohol.

Second phase: You can gradually increase the consumption of carbohydrates to empirically find their individual level. Weight should decline gradually, and symptoms of hypoglycemia - weakness, somnolence, the constant feeling of hunger- disappear. When you will reach the desired weight, the number of carbohydrates in the diet needs to be a little increased, it would help to stabilize the weight.

Third phase: Result maintenance.

Less Sleeping Leads To Extra Weight

The Columbia University and the Hospital of St. Luke-Roosevelt scientists published the results of the study, according to which there is a link between sleep duration and obesity.

Contrary to the public opinion, doctors have found that people who sleep less, are more exposed to the risk of gaining extra weight. Scientists watched a long time after a group of 18,000 patients and found: for those who sleep at night less than 4 hours, the risk of obesity is higher by 74% than for those who sleeps 7-9 hours. For those who sleep 5 hours - the risk of extra kilograms rises by 50% and for 6 hours sleepers - by 23%.

Most doctors give a simple explanation to this paradox: if people do not sleep at night, they eat, and there is usually little moving. Here is the general portrait of this less sleeping patients: a young man, sitting all night in front of the TV or the computer, with a few handy bottles of beer ( "cola", coffee, etc.), some snacks and a lot of sandwiches. Doctors recommend to abstain from eating after 6-7 PM, go early to bed and early in the morning to get up, nor to avoid moderate physical exercises throughout the day.

The blood hormones study revealed the fact that a small length of sleep caused a significant increase in leptina (the hormone responsible for feelings of satiety and reducing hunger), and, on the contrary, even more significantly reducing grelina (hormone which reinforces the sense of hunger). This makes the little sleeping people at night to feel hunger and insatiable desire to eat something rich in carbohydrates (pies, cakes, cookies, etc.), with all its attendant consequences.

Thus, the increase in duration of sleep can be seen as a means to combat obesity, not forgetting, of course, the leading role of regular physical exercises, and proper healthy nutrition.